Ashtavakra: ~ “My child you may speak upon various scriptures or hear the sermons on the scriptures. But you cannot establish in the ‘Self’ unless you forget all. 16-1 – p49
Sage Sankara restrained himself parting the Advaitic Gnana to the mass and only a selected few. It was hidden from the people who were not qualified and receptive to it.
Advaitic wisdom was not written down but was imparted orally to the chosen few. Thus, religion was given to the mass, and knowledge of the Spirit is given only a selected few. Thus, we find traces of the knowledge of the Spirit in religious books in the form of parables.
Swami Vivekananda: ~ “Advaita encompasses everything. Since Advaita requires heavy-duty intellectualism, it had to be progressively simplified. (From 'The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda)
Scriptures are being added from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.
The Upanishads are ‘Self’-contradictory. Every pundit even gives conflicting interpretations of them. The final authority, therefore, is using one’s own reason. One should apply his reason to them.
The scriptures are for the ignorant masses, who wholly accept the material world as it presents itself’. Gnana is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.
The Scriptures are of value only when dealing with persons who are incapable of understanding the truth. They have no value as authority for those who use reason.
Remember:~
I quote only the verified citation from the scriptures. I need no scriptures, but I quote then to help the seekers to realize the scriptures are saying
Scriptures mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth or Brahman.
The ultimate truth is revealed in the clear understanding and realization of ‘what is truth and ‘what is the untruth. When one realizes the untruth (universe) is created out of single stuff, Self-awareness rises in the midst of duality exposing the unreal nature of the form, time, and space.
Ashtavakra:~There is no wisdom whatsoever in the scriptures-just a collection of words.
The seeker should not bother about finding the meaning of what is written in the scriptures. Scriptures are not needed in pursuit of truth. Even the Upanishads and the Sages of truth saying the same. The ultimate truth has to be realized first then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying.
The path of wisdom is divided into three parts:~
First: hearing the truth--that the consciousness is the only reality and that the universe along with you merely an illusion or Maya.
Second: reasoning upon these words of wisdom of Sage Sankara from all points of view.
Third: giving up all further argumentation and realizing the truth. This realization comes from being certain that consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.
The ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth has to be ascertained without the scriptures by realizing the Self is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity but the Self is the formless Soul which is present in the form of consciousness.
Remember:~
In the realm of the truth, the form, time, and space are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Realizing the single stuff as the ultimate truth is Self-realization or truth realization. To realize this truth, there is no need for scriptures.
The ultimate truth has to be realized first then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying.
Scriptures are being added from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.
I quote Scriptural citation only after verification reality and proved the truth, to point out that the scriptures teach the same thing. If one quotes them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.
Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge. Therefore, there is no use for studying the scriptures and other scriptures in order to acquire the nondual wisdom. That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God and scriptures.
There is only one Reality to be known, the same for all seekers, but the ways to it, are hidden by the religion. Self-discovery is the only way, towards non-dual Absolute without any religious doctrines, which will help the seekers to unfold the mystery of the illusion in which we all are searching for the truth of our true existence.
That is why Sage Sankara declare: ~ VC 56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by good work, nor by learning, but by the realization of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means.
58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar but are no good for Liberation.
59. The study of the scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.
60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest that merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence, men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.
61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?
62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.
63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.
64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendor of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.
65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.
66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.
Then there is no need for the scriptures, religion, and idea of God. One has to be more rational to realize the Advaitic truth, which is the ultimate truth or scientific truth. : ~
Santthosh Kumaar
